Protocols are up and to note, Brooklee got +GOE on EVERYTHING except the 3Lo< which she fell off (-3, obviously). Well done!

Also, i get the impression that Brooklee has that grit and determination which you need to get through the free program. Some of the skaters that are in the mix have had a history of struggling in the long- Kerstin and Elene in particular. The dream is very much still alive and kicking

Morming everyone. Its 6:30am in Sydney and I am ready to see the dance. GO DANI AND GREG.
As expected its going to be tight. Fingers crossed that they can move ahead of the main clump of couples.
__________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Okay it's now Dani and Greg's turn. Great outfits!
Nice opening- very peppy and bright-- what everyone loves in a quickstep.
Finnstep pattern good start, good on the standing stop....little shaky out of the standing stop though!
Great Twizzles- Danielle a little off on the second set
Nice change in mood
Good on the step sequence- Greg could work on using his knees more, maybe a tad more speed, fits the character of the dance perfectly but could be more difficult....gees I'm being picky
Wonderful transition into the Charleston- very entertaining
Great transition into the lift and fantastic rotational lift
Great performance

Fingers crossed- you can never tell with the scores in Ice Dance
ok
50.62...great news..in third at the moment

"With the final Olympic quota places on offer, figure skaters from across the world converged on the Bavarian enclave of Oberstdorf, Germany overnight..."
Article Written by Alice Wheeler for the Australian Olympic Committee
Published on September 27, 2013
Link to Article Belowhttp://sochi2014.olympics.com.au/new...sochi-on-day-1

Aussies in Oberstdorf--Marking Breakdown of Day One

Ladies' Short Program

Skater: Brooklee Han

Overall, Brooklee had a solid skate, with great execution in all but one of the elements. She seemed to hold back today (which could be a good thing) and that fall on the Triple Loop did put her behind in the music, which was evident when her arm moves didn't match to the music in the step sequence. As always she has wonderful spins- flexibility, fast rotations and a lot of beautiful positions. She can always work towards deeper edges and overall speed across the ice as well as making some of the choreography and transitions more challenging to boost her presentation mark and to help her portray more clearly what this program is about. She didn't have the same fearlessness that we usually see from her but maybe she is saving if for the Free Skate. Fingers Crossed that it's the case but overall, a super skate from her.

When a Dance Team start the season with an official PB, you know it's going to be a good season for them. You can tell by how they skated they trained hard in the off season. Their timing, lines, speed, unison and connection have improved immensely and I hope they will continue to improve.

Technically, the program was strong and they rewarded for that. There were a few moments of imperfection- the second set of twizzles and the steps after the standing stop section of the Finnstep pattern. Also, they need to think about the construction of their non-touching step sequence as they only received a level 2.

On the presentation side of things, their marks have improved. They have a great outgoing fun presence on the ice! But there is room the grow but they need to continue to challenge themselves with more difficult choreography and transitions and to continue to develop that connection between each other in order for them to push even further (that middle section can be a little steamier!). They also need to explore new dance holds as they tended to use alot of kilian hold (side by side dance hold). Today was a little on the safe side but knowing how much they love their Free Dance, I'm sure they have every chance to qualify!

Tonight's action form Oberstdorf will see Brendan Kerry begin his quest to receive an Olympic spot for Australia- something that we haven't seen since Anthony Liu in Salt Lake City (That was ELEVEN years ago). There are 34 competitors, 28 of those are seeking one of the six remaining spots to Olympics.

The Men's Short Program begins at 4:30pm AEST.
Brendan will be skating in Group 5 (Second to last group) which is at about 8:00pm AEST.

In the evening (Early Saturday Morning for us) is the Ladies' Free Program starting at 1:55am AEST and the first of the three events we have our eyes on. Brooklee Han will be skating the Group 5 which will be at just before 6:00am Saturday Morning.

How well did you think team Australia performed today? How well do you think they will perform on day 2? Please have your say and comment below

ALSO, the International Skating Union (ISU) has provided a live feed to the event, which is a step in the right direction.
Below is a link to the ISU's Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/user/SkatingISU

"In a blistering performance full of bounce and attack, Australian ice dancers Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman delivered the performance of their careers so far in the Short Dance segment of the Winter Olympic Qualifying event in Germany this morning, scoring 50.52 points, leaving them in 6th place overall and more importantly third of the countries still to qualify for Sochi 2014..."

Evening Australians and Golden Skate Forumers!
Group 5 in the men's event are approaching! Feel the excitement

#Australiaforteamevent

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brendan's turn now. The last skater had a great skate, fingers crossed he has one too!
Beautiful edge work- lots of speed
Wonderful on the Triple Lutz combo
Great on the triple axel- it's almost become his bread and butter jump
Good spins- difficult positions, fast rotations and nice to look at
Great on the step sequence- could use his upper body a tad more- more dynamic movement needed and should work on getting down into the knees.
The crowd love him
Well done!!